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*What We Know About The Teaching of Writing: 'What Works:' I feel that writing is just as hard, if not harder to teach than reading. Writing is an expression of creativity that a student has to feel comfortable sharing for starters, and then they have to learn and acquire the skills to get their ideas down in paper and expressed in the way that they desire. I feel that like reading, the only way to acquire these skills is to use them often! Practice, practice, practice is something I know that works. I know that when I am focusing on improving my writing skills, it helps to have a creative assignment that applies to the real world. I appreciated teachers who took the time to have poetry sessions where we read, shared, brainstormed, and discussed ideas, themes, topics, descriptive words, styles, and preferences. Instead of write a poem about anything where children don't even know where to start, it was write a poem trying out this author's particular style, or write a poem about autumn, or a pet. I think that prompts really work to get creative juices flowing. There are so many genres of writing, some of which are essential such as resume writing, letter writing, essay writing, or research paper writing. All of these are used not only in school, but afterward. Other styles of writing are often not necessary but still pleasurable hobbies or even careers such as writing articles, novels, short stories, or poems. I feel that it is necessary to expose students to all types of writing because they will be more likely to find an area they are good at or excited to do which will make them more motivated to try in areas that may not come as easily. Amber Baker I feel that writing begins with the basics; noun, verb, adjective, adverb etc. As I've mentioned before, I attended many schools growing up (30). The one thing I remember is disecting sentences. I didn't know it at the time, but when I entered college (4 years ago) I found out that I could write well. I also learned many writing skills by working in an English class. Teaching children how to write helped me understand the parts of speech much better. I think repetition is very important. The more we write, the better we get. Recently, my son (13) had to write a 5 paragraph essay. He was procrastinating, so I wrote what he told me to write to show him how easy writing can be. Once he typed his paper (it took 2 hours), he could see his mistakes and correct them. After he printed it out, I had him read it out loud to find incorrect sentences. I will be anxious to see how he performs on his next essay, which is coming up soon. I also think that peer evaluations are important. At my job (working with SDC), we have the students write their paper and have a partner read their paper to find the mistakes. This works well because each students gets to hear what they have written. This is the first time in 11 years, that I've seen SDC students write so well. I believe it is the teacher. Therefore, a good teacher helps students write. Denise Goy Writing is a skill that does not come overnight. It must be constantly performed, critiqued and taught. But how does an instructor actually go about this process? There are so many methods and techniques that may be used. The following are a few that have worked for me. 1.) Brainstorming: Encouraging students to brainstrom. To get the thought process going, or to help them get into the groove of writing, have them write down all the toughts that pop into their heads. Often times thoughts create a domino effect. One thought pops into your head, and then another, and another, etc. With the brainstormed thoughts on paper, the student can review them for writing ideas. 2.) Peer Review and Discussion: Have the students discuss the topic in groups of two or three. Having someone to bounce ideas off of helps them to hone in on their thoughts, find the direction of their paper, and to gain additional input. Peer review is also helpful because it gives them someone else's opinion. If all else fails, peer review is a good way for students to correct typos, grammatical errors and verbage. 3.) Proofread Several Times: When I was youonger I did not appreciate proofreading like I do now! By re-reading my papers several times I am able to see errors, or discover a better way to word a phrase. This usually requires a couple days. I tipically have to put the paper down for a day and re-read it at some point. Writing is all in the details, and proofreading definately helps with those little details! 4.) Use a Jouranl: Writing is a skill, and skills must be maintained to operate at maximum efficiency. By using a jouranl students do not run the risk of losing their skill. In essence it prevents them from becoming "rusty". Plus it keeps the creativity flowing! Yvette Tourte 'What Doesn't Work:' I feel what doens't work is to expect students to freewrite without giving them any sort of prompt to go off of. For some children this is fine, but for others it is upsetting and it is easier for the students who don't need the prompt to just ignore it than it is for the other students to struggle. I feel that students need background information or brainstorming before an assignment is given. I had a teacher that told us to pick something we cared about and write a letter to a government official regarding this issue. Without any brainstorming of what kinds of topics are currently being debated, who the local officals are, which departments cover which kinds of things, and just general information that students didn't know, there was no where for us to start. Children also need examples of writing and what the teacher does or does not want. I'm the type of person who wants to know specifics. Amber Baker I feel that students who do not have the skills to write a sentence should not be expected to write an essay. It's also easier for students to write when they have a topic and understand that topic. Telling students to write an essay about something (too vague) will not do well. I agree with Amber about brainstorming. Brainstroming allows the students to see what they really need to write about. Once a students writes well, brainstorming isn't always necessary (on paper). Writing can be fun, but students who do not understand how to write are not going to enjoy it. Working in SDC, we have a students who writes sentences out of order (go today play at friends my house). We have made her correct her sentences, after we make the corrections, and she is improving. The reason she writes like this is because her native language is not English. We expect her to write with modifications. We do not expect her produce work she can not do. Teachers definately need patience. Denise Goy Although there are a lot of methods and techniques that DO work when teaching students to write, there are a lot of things that DO NOT work as well! Every student has some horror story to tell from when they were learning how to write. Here are a few things that did not work for me. 1.) Have Realistic Expectations: Don't expect Steinbeck or Hemingway from a fifteen year old, it is not going to happen. Instructors need to guage each student's writing level. One third of the class may have above-average writing skills, another third average wrting skills, and another third below-average writing skills. Teachers cannot have the same expectations for all students. Although students need a challenge, don't set the bar out of their reach. This leads to discouragement, and discouragement leads to a lack of future effort. 2.) Clear and Concise Expectations: Once a teacher has decided upon their expectations, he/she must make them abundantly clear to their class. If expectations are not clearly outlined, there is not a lot of structure for grading. A student may feel he or she wrote an "A" worthy paper, while the teacher feels it is deserving of a "C". Students work much better when they know what is expected of them. 3.) Comments!: Nothing drove me nuts more than a teacher writing a grade at the end of my paper without any comments. If it was a "C" paper, tell me why. If it was an "A" paper, tell me why. What did I do to earn a "C"? I need to know so I may improve my writing. What did I do to earn an "A"? I need to know so I may earn another "A". Plus it always made me wonder, did the teacher even read my paper? 4.) Engaging Topics: Now we all know not every paper can have a "fun" topic, but engaging topics help students to have a desire to write. Writing a reflection paper is "fun". You are wrinting about one of the topics you know best, yourself. Writing a research paper on someone or something you are interested in is "fun". You want to learn more about that particular topic. Writing about a topic that is mind-numbingly boring is not so fun (and quite frankly we have all written those papers and know what a chore they are to churn out!) Yvette Tourte